Anti-Vaxxer Sympathy

[Aractus]

But if a virus or bacteria infects that five per cent, what mechanism do you propose would stop it from evolving more virulent strains?

Okay, first off everyone is still at risk of infection. Not 5%. 100% are still at risk (unless they have previously had the virus itself). Vaccinating a significant proportion of the population is enough to protect against an outbreak of a communicable disease. Vaccinating 95% or more of the total population provides the maximum possible protection. In other words, if you have 95% of the population vaccinated against a communicable disease (for example measles) then statistically speaking there is a greater chance of someone who is vaccinated being the one to contract the disease and spreading it compared with non-vaccinated population.

Secondly how do you suppose anyone is going to contract the disease when no one has it? From the environment somewhere? It's not going to evolve from just one person. Either the disease has been spreading and evolving in other life-forms - or it's been living, spreading, and evolving in other humans.

And the idea that some anti-vaxxers are not willful in their denial isn't borne out by either my personal experiences or perusing the fringe media.

Also, please quit imputing to me views I don't hold. It's a dick move and should be beneath you.

I'm tell you that it's morally wrong to blame patients for the failings of healthcare delivery. Your labelling of people as "anti-vaxxers" is not helpful. You're simply looking to the extremes. I already explained to you there is not just one reason why a person doesn't vaccinate their child. Put it this way - let's say you open a business and you sell a product that you think the public wants. And potential consumers come to you, and some of them are put off because you are mean, arrogant, forceful and disrespectful. From your point of view it's "their fault" that they don't want your service, but from their point of view you didn't earn their trust, and because of their experience they don't want to buy products from your company.

This idea that patients are to blame for not seeking and receiving the medical advice and services that they need is WRONG. It's backwards. If there's a problem it is not on their end - end of story. It's on the side of healthcare services - they're the ones who need to ensure they're offering products and services that don't push their customers out the door never to return.

Even in your extremist argument - "well some people say they are against vaccination". Yes. Some - a small minority compared to the total number of people who don't vaccinate. However, for many of those people it will not be because they are "intellectually objected" that will be a secondary reason and you will find that in the majority of cases, even where people say they object, the primary reason is something else. Their doctor was rude or inconsiderate to them once. They had some other negative experience with healthcare at some time. They have legitimate concerns that haven't been listened to or addressed. There are many reasons why people who should access a health service that you think is important fail to do so. It's not at all limited to vaccination, and if you want to address it you have to fix the services not fix the patients.